I am in BRASIL, not originally in my travel plans but the mere sound of its name hums with music and passion, so I'm here. São Paulo doesn't have a good reputation with travelers generally, but so far I'm impressed: since San Francisco I have not seen a people so multicultural, fabulously beautiful, or as anything goes. Yesterday on a bus journey across the city, there was a young hockey player among the cars, weaving across the traffic on his inline skates, holding on to cars and busses for a ride, chatting to the drivers and fixing their mirrors at stoplights, cruising and sliding to the side to catch the next ride, skating as fast as he can while cars caught up with him and honked from behind. He was going as fast as any of the cars, sharing the space of machines with ease, obviously having done this frequently. As in most of the world, the cars fill all available space on the roads with no regard for lanes, and he was wearing hockey gear but no helmet. I think the entire bus watched him for half the city and silently rooted for young daredevil.

My heart has taken a hit these couple of days, thus I've gained a special affinity for acts that are courageous or reckless. More importantly the latter, as all matters that make the heart leap necessarily are.